Following the news that Harry Kane is ruled out until March with ankle ligament damage, Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has a big headache as to where his goals are going to come from over the next couple of months.
Kane is Spurs’ top scorer with 20 goals so far this term.
The situation is exacerbated because second top scorer Heung-min Son (12 goals) has just left to join South Korea’s Asian Cup campaign in the United Arab Emirates.
After that it’s down to single figures with Lucas Moura (eight), Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela (all six).
But who will lead the line?
Fernando Llorente
Spanish veteran Llorente is Kane’s main understudy. The 33-year-old has scored just one Premier League goal in 21 games since arriving from Swansea City in 2017. There are mitigating circumstances in that – with Kane the undisputed first-choice striker – Llorente has been restricted to a bit-part role. He has a record of a four goals in 11 games this season – a goal every 43 minutes – but none of his strikes have been in the league. He had been expected to rejoin former club Athletic Bilbao this month, but that now looks highly unlikely. He’s probably going to be the first port of call for Pochettino.
Vincent Janssen
The Netherlands international, aged 24, has flopped since his £17m signing from AZ Alkmaar in 2016. He currently has no squad number and spent last season on loan at Fenerbahce. Although he has recently returned to fitness after an injury, it is difficult to imagine Pochettino welcoming him back into the fold at this stage.
Josh Maja
The Sunderland striker was linked with Spurs last summer and the Express reported over the weekend – even before Kane’s injury – that the north Londoners had reignited their interest. Maja is out of contract at the end of the season and has so far declined to commit to a new deal. He has been impressing in League One – scoring 14 goals in 23 appearances – but being dropped into the Premier League mid-season would be a huge step up for the 20-year-old.
Giuseppe Rossi
The easiest proven top-level goalscorer to sign at the moment is Giuseppe Rossi. The Italy international, aged 31, is a free agent and training with Manchester United to rebuild his fitness after leaving Genoa at the end of last season. But the latter stages of his career have been ravaged be knee injuries and, realistically, he is unlikely to approach anything near Premier League sharpness before Kane is back.
Marko Arnautovic
The West Ham United man is pushing for a move during the current window, with a transfer to the Chinese Super League. An unnamed side lodged a £35m bid earlier in the window. He has the pace and goalscoring ability to fit into the Spurs side, but there will be question marks over his attitude and temperament. It also remains to be seen whether chairman Daniel Levy has the appetite to spend £30-40m when he has a new stadium to pay for.
Lucas Moura
If Llorente fails to impress, Pochettino might take a leaf from counterpart Maurizio Sarri’s book. Unimpressed with his striker options in recent weeks, Sarri has deployed Eden Hazard as a false nine. Pochettino could do similarly. Moura is the most prolific of his attacking midfielders. England international Dele Alli might also be under consideration for the role.
